I loved high school. I am still best friends with my closest friends from middle and high school, my husband was my high school sweet heart, and I grew up a lot during those four years. While high school was great socially, I also learned and it was the first time that learning was interesting to me. Now, don't get me wrong, I did sleep in class and I was a furious book-reader, and note-writer, but it was also the first time I think I appreciated learning and felt like I was gaining something useful. I had some wonderful teachers, too. I left high school with a sense of accomplishment and confidence. If I had to choose one teacher who influenced me to feel challenged yet confident it was Mrs. Baksa. Mrs. Baksa was a relatively new teacher but she was older. I distinctly remember her telling us that she never understood chemistry during high school or college. After she graduated she got a job in a chemical spill company and she really became interested in chemistry so she went back to college to "figure it out." While there she decided she wanted to share her knowledge and love of chemistry with high school students. I took two semesters of Advanced Placement Chemistry with Mrs. Baksa. Having these classes contributed to the hardest academic year of my high school career. I would often cry out of frustration and I felt like I could not do it, but Mrs. Baksa was always there to help me. After the first semester I wanted to quit and give up on A.P. Chemistry so I talked to Mrs. Baksa. She told me that she understood that I was frustrated, but she knew I could do it. She encouraged me to continue to take the second semester of the class. I did and I made a B and that B was one of my proudest moments. This is the type of teacher that I want to be like. I want to challenge students, but I also want to build their confidence in themselves because having the feeling of finally understanding something that was once confusing is one of the best feelings you can have.
Another teacher who really influenced me was Dr. Brimi. Dr. Brimi was my Honors English 11 teacher. He has a way of using sarcasm and charisma to create a sense of community within his classroom and everyone loved his class. I am pretty sure that if you asked anyone who had him what they thought they would all say he was one of their favorite teachers. I think the main reason everyone loved his class was that everyone participated and we always had great discussions. I hardly remember a time when Dr. Brimi just lectured to us. Beyond that, he has been the only teacher who has gone out of their way to get to know me. He did the same with almost every student he had, and even some he did not, like my younger brother. I kept in such great contact with Dr. Brimi that I asked his advice about becoming a teacher shortly after moving to Rhode Island. He gave me suggestions like which programs to look into, questions to ask at my interview, and he wrote a letter of recommendation for me! As a teacher, I hope to also have a lively and safe classroom that so that everyone enjoys participating. I also want to build relationships with my students and help them, just as Dr. Brimi did.
Another teacher who really influenced me was Dr. Brimi. Dr. Brimi was my Honors English 11 teacher. He has a way of using sarcasm and charisma to create a sense of community within his classroom and everyone loved his class. I am pretty sure that if you asked anyone who had him what they thought they would all say he was one of their favorite teachers. I think the main reason everyone loved his class was that everyone participated and we always had great discussions. I hardly remember a time when Dr. Brimi just lectured to us. Beyond that, he has been the only teacher who has gone out of their way to get to know me. He did the same with almost every student he had, and even some he did not, like my younger brother. I kept in such great contact with Dr. Brimi that I asked his advice about becoming a teacher shortly after moving to Rhode Island. He gave me suggestions like which programs to look into, questions to ask at my interview, and he wrote a letter of recommendation for me! As a teacher, I hope to also have a lively and safe classroom that so that everyone enjoys participating. I also want to build relationships with my students and help them, just as Dr. Brimi did.